"A young Hindu follower of the goddess Shitla Mata has his cheek pierced with a trident during an annual procession in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh."



"Indian Hindu female followers of the goddess Shitla Mata have their tongues pierced with small tridents during an annual procession in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh."



"Devotees subjected themselves to painful rituals in a demonstration of faith and penance to the diety during a procession to a temple dedicated to the goddess."

it's a beautifully strange world...